Chapter 6 - Charlie
Is she fucking kidding? First we almost kiss, then she doesn't look at me and now she's flirting with Keith. Incredible. I'm so done with girls. Fuck, why do I care that one girl doesn't want me. I never care.
I knock my glass back and fish a beer from the crate. I'm mad at Keith, but even more mad at Jay. She pretends it's nothing.
In a feint I catch the ball, I grin smugly at Gino, who is now forced to finish his glass. "Oh come on, you're not even paying attention."
"I'm always paying attention," I growl. I position myself, see Clay's stupid head, moron. I throw, hit. He sighs and picks up his cup, they are... behind, have only three cups left and we have 6.
I want to walk away, but then feel a hand on my back, my eyebrows rise a little bit in astonishment, but when I look at her hand, it's gone again and she laughs with Keith. I roll my eyes and step past them, ignoring their laughter and plop in the sofa. I can't stand how Keith slides his hands smoothly over her hips or arms and she laughs at his fucking shit face.
"Ey, Charlie what the hell is this?" I ignore Keith and take a sip of my beer. "Char." I get a beer cap against my head.
"I'm done." I mutter, trying hard not to look at Jay.
Keith rolls his eyes this time. "Party pooper." He takes the ball and throws, of course he misses, he always throws crooked, especially when he has been drinking.
Someone plops into the couch next to me and hits his beer against mine. "I get it, you didn't have your star player anymore," Jake grins.
Grinning, I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him towards me. "Yes, because you are so useful to us."
"Ouch." Grinning, I push him back. I don't know how it ever turned out like that, maybe because he used to be bullied by Keith when we were 6, but Jake has always been my best buddy. It may not seem like it, especially because he is sometimes as dumb as a sidewalk tile, he can listen well and don't ask me how he does it, but when something bothers you he sees it right away, almost as if he can read your mind.
"What is it?" What did I tell you?
I release a little sigh. "Nothing really, I'm tired and my face hurts."
Jake chuckles. "The second one is really your own fault." He nudges me. "But what's bothering you for real."
I roll my eyes. "Nothing." He already knows the truth when my eyes automatically move to Jay. Fucking hell.
"Jealous hmm?"
The punch is so hard that Jake squeaks in pain. "I take that as a yes." He grunts. "I'm just trying to help," he says hurt, rubbing his aching shoulder.
I sigh again. "I know." Why am I so worried about it? "I don't know, dude." I fiddle with the label of my beer. "I literally never have this, I..." A sigh leaves my lips.
He pats my leg. "Do you know what I'm thinking?" I look at him questioningly. "I think you just need to get laid, when's the last time you were drunk and had sex with someone?"
"Jake..."
"Oh come on, you're going to be a prude now, the school's greatest player." I laugh mockingly.
"And that's coming from your mouth." When we look at each other, we chuckle. "No you're right, I haven't had sex in ages."
"Tada, problem solved." He winks, but still looks like he knows something I don't know.
I roll my eyes again. "Jake... What?"
He shakes his head with a grin. "Nothing, I just want you to be happy." I gag.
"Please, mister feelings, don't go that way." He laughs. My mind drifts again. "Do you think she's gay?"
Jake almost spits out his beer. "Did you really just ask that?" His eyes almost rolled out of his head.
I shrug my shoulders. "It's just a question, Jesus christ."
"To be honest, I don't know, at least she's not interested in me." When I look at him I laugh, he said it way too sad. "Stop laughing," he says, struggling not to laugh too. "She seems interested in your brother." And there goes my mood.
"Little brother," I corrected him. I see something of a grin on Jake's face when he looks at me, but when I level my gaze at him it's gone.
"No," I hear her say, laughing. "I really have to go home." She smiles at Keith again and I have to do my best not to roll my eyes.
"Okay, I'll take you." Keith can't even walk straight anymore, he's really not going to take her home.
"Speaking of him," I say to Jake. "I'm going to put him to bed."
"Well, should he be tucked back in?" I shake my head with a grin and stand up, with a few steps I can just catch Keith before his face meets the wooden floor.
"Charlie..." He blows in my face, which irritates me even more. "What are you doing? I have to take Jayyy home."
"And kill yourself, don't think so." He laughs mockingly.
"I-I can drive very well." I roll my eyes.
Jake and Andrew take him from me. "We've got him, you can take care of the rest." Jake winks.
"She has to go home," Keith shouts.
"Yes, I know." I wave at him mockingly and turn around, stare into two green eyes, I forget what I wanted to say, how to breathe. "I uhh... Do you want a ride?" I managed to get out.
"I can walk." Why does she keep looking at the ground?
"It's fine, I've only had 2 beers." Not quite true, but I certainly didn't drink as much as the rest.
"Are you sure?"
Now I roll my eyes. "Grab your stuff, Rookie, let's go." I walk to the front door without saying anything else.
"Charlie, wait!" I grin as she stumbles behind me.
-----
It is terribly quiet. She doesn't say anything and I can't think of anything to say, everything sounds stupid. Nice weather huh, a bit chilly. Tsss.
I try to keep an eye on the road, but my eyes keep sliding towards her. Her head rests against the window and her eyes are staring at something I can't see. She seems to be bothered by something.
"What?" She immediately shoots out of her mind and stares at me, her eyes soften. I quickly look at the road again, I said that Keith would cause an accident and I almost did it myself. I raised my hand to a car, who honked at me.
"Jay, what's up?" She thought I would let it go, but she was wrong. I look at her very briefly, watch her hands fall into her lap and she plays with the hem of her shirt.
"Are you mad at me?" This takes me by surprise, I thought she was still upset with me, about fighting Taylor. If I don't respond, she'll look out the window again and close off.
Well, yes, actually I'm mad at you. Why? I don't know, maybe because you almost kissed me and then flirted with my brother.
"No, I'm not mad at you." I can feel her looking at me again. "Look," I begin, trying my best to say this calmly. "I don't care what you do and who you like, that's your business okay, but you can't almost kiss someone and then—" I tighten my lips. "Never mind." Why did I have to say that? Now it seems like it is a big deal. "That's just not cool, it's not good for my reputation." Oh come on. I want to hit my head against the wheel.
"Oh, o-okay." I almost steer the car towards a tree, but I hold back.
"If that's your thing, well who am I to judge you?"
"No, that's not..." She pauses and stares out the window. God I really am an asshole.
The rest of the ride is done in silence. I hate myself for what I've said and swear inwardly a few times. Jay stares out the window again. Fuck, I really shouldn't have said that.
"Turn right." she mutters as we approach her house. "Number 108." I stare at the signs, really don't know what to say. The car slowly comes to a stop.
I stare at her house, it is a detached house, it looks cozy. My eyes slide to Jay. For a moment I see a sense of doubt in her eyes as she looks at the front door. Is she scared?
"Thanks for the ride," she mutters, pushing the door open.
"Jay." She waits, she doesn't look at me, but she's waiting. "Sorry that I made you uncomfortable."
She pushes the door open, yet she waits again. "Sorry about Keith." For the first time this evening she really looks at me again. "Sorry that you saw it that way." Wait, what? She slams the door and walks to her front door. That is how it was...
Shaking my head, I start the car again and only drive away when Jay disappears behind the front door. I still see a light flashing in the living room, but I decide to drive away.
Don't look back, don't look back, just drive. With a groan I still look in my mirror. I see a man coming up from a chair, he seems angry and then I see Jay, who holds her hands up, the man takes a step towards her and -
A horn lets me look forward and I can press the brake just in time. Did he want to... Did he want to hit her?
-----
"Charlie!" With a groan I turn around and push my hands to my ears. "Charlie!" Mom opens my bedroom door and walks in. "Jump in the shower, I've called you 5 times now."
"That's what you like to do, right?" I hear her sigh and open my curtains.
"When's the last time you did your laundry?" She picks up some shirts and shakes her head.
"Somewhere last week," I mumble as I roll onto my back. I see her stop at my desk, where Jake left some photos yesterday.
Don't get me wrong, I love my mother and we are very close, but sometimes we are a bit too close, she does not need to know everything.
"Who is this?" I hear her speak again and I look up. She holds up a picture of Andrew and Jay.
"Andrew, mom, you know... that tall guy you always drink coffee with." She slaps my leg and sits next to me. I move so she doesn't sit on my leg.
"Well, I know who Andrew is, I was talking about the girl?" She looks at me and knows enough when she looks into my eyes, so I moan, roll on my stomach and shove my head into my pillow.
"No, Char." She rubs my back, her hand ends up in my hair. "You like her."
I moan louder this time. "No!"
"Is that why you have a black eye? Because you stood up for her." Where does that logic come from?
"Mom, if you don't stop now, I'll jump off the roof!"
Mom chuckles. "I know enough." I sigh. I don't like her, she's just interesting. I hear her chuckle again. "I just hear how you are mulling over your thoughts." I turn to her and slap her hand away.
"I don't 'mull' at all." I put my hands under my head and stare at the ceiling. Try to ignore mom who's grinning now.
"Who is she?"
"Jay." I roll my eyes when I see her reaction.
"Jay." She mocks. I shove her.
"Don't say her name like that."
Mom smiles. "But that's how you say it, darling." I roll my eyes again.
"She's new at school," I continue. "And she plays baseball, she's on the team."
"Mmm," Mom only says. "Was she here yesterday?"
I turn my head towards her. "Can we stop talking about this?"
She nods and pats my leg again. "You have to take a shower." Before I can roll my eyes she looks at me again. "Don't roll your eyes at me." I laugh when she pokes my sides. "Shower."
"Yeah." I hear her laugh as she walks to my door. "Mom."
"What now? No, I'm not going to bake an egg for you."
I throw a pillow at her. "Can we keep this between us?"
"I don't want to bake an egg for you." I roll my eyes and grin when I get a pillow against my head. "Would you get into a fight with your brother?"
"Mom please."
She shakes her head with a grin. "Fine and hurry up."
"Charlie!" Keith yells. Oh god, here we go again. He walks into my room and stares at me. "Why didn't you stop me last night?" He squeezes his eyes a few times. "This hangover sucks."
"That's your problem." Oh no. He drops on top of me. "Keith, get your stinky feet off me!" I sigh noisily. "I have to get ready."
"Since when do you give a shit about school?" I finally got him off me and got up.
"Well since never, but you had to promise someone to pick her up." Keith groans.
"How bad did I make a fool of myself?"
"From 1 to 10?" He nods, it almost looks pathetic and I almost feel sorry for him. Ha, definitely not. "2000."
He groans. "Damn it."
"Yeah, that's what you get when you can't keep your dick in your pants." He is already looking at me with devastation. "The alcohol gives you just enough confidence to approach a girl."
"I will beat your ass up!" As fast as I can I run to the bathroom before Keith can get me and lock the door. I am in his bathroom as I can only shower with cold water at the moment and maybe I'm just weird, but cold water isn't amazing. My shower will be fixed this afternoon. No but for real, I don't mind to shower with cold water a few times, but I just like to bully Keith. Mom's room is off limits and he knows that.
"And you say to me that I can't keep my dick in my pants, look who you fucked... the whole school!"
"Fuck you!" I yell back.
Keith pounds on the door. "Not fair!" He shouts. "I have to take a shower too! Come out, I have to impress someone!"
"Who, Jake?" I joke.
"If you don't come out now, I will fucking kill you." I turn the shower on with a grin, crybaby.